The Rolling Stones
(WP), vocals; Keith Richards (WP) (headband), guitar]] They had long hair, took drugs and played rock and were therefore hippies, in most people's minds. But they were exactly what the establishment needed. Someone to champion the real misdeeds of the establishment's victims, so that they could downplay and obscure the virtuousness of heroes. But to be fair, this was due to ignorance. And to the establishment attempting to make victims of THEM. Their music was a fortuitous and astronomically successful blend of garage band rock and roll and plaintive ballads. Even moreso than many bands of the era, their early material was cover versions. Including old edit of WP: By 1967 the band had become almost synonymous with part of the rebellious spirit of the 1960s 1960s, and in particular a more relaxed attitude towards drug use. Yellow journalism (WP) outlet News of the World did shock!-horror! stories on pop band drug use. Donovan was first, and was busted first. The police obtained warrants to search Richards' country home, Redlands, on the 12th of February 1967 during one of the regular parties (The Moody Blues would attend, but were not there), and discovered a moderate quantity of [cannabis. No arrests were made at the time, but Jagger, Richards and their friend art dealer Robert Fraser were subsequently charged with drug offences. The raid also served as a source of apocryphal stories, mainly concerning the appearance and demeanor of their friend Marianne Faithfull, which only served to augment their reputation - for "debauchery", as the right wing Wikipedia:Daily Mail put it. Richards was charged and a few months later stood trial for allowing drug use in his home. :"When we got busted at Redlands, it suddenly made us realize that this was a whole different ball game and that was when the fun stopped. Up until then it had been as though London existed in a beautiful space where you could do anything you wanted."Jagger|Richards|Watts|Wood|2003|p=112 Amidst intense press interest he was convicted and sentenced to a year's imprisonment, prompting The Times newspaper to run an editorial criticising the verdict. Beneath the title "Who Breaks A Butterfly On A Wheel" (WP) editor William Rees-Mogg wrote: ::"If we are going to make any case a symbol of the conflict between the sound traditional values of Britain and the new hedonism, then we must be sure that the sound traditional values include those of tolerance and equity." On 10 May 1967, the day Jagger, Richards and Fraser were arraigned in connection with the Redlands charges, Brian Jones' house was raided by police. He was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana (Wikipedia:Cannabis (drug)). :During the furor, Decca shrewdly released ''Flowers in the United States. Despite being a quickly cobbled-together collection of hits and studio outtakes, it was nevertheless a hit. In 1970, Mick Jagger (WP) starred in Nicholas Roeg's (WP) entanglement of a working class Mafia(WP) hoodlum in Bohemia (WP); captured like a passing stranger kidnapped by Elves: Performance (WP) Italic text Gender inequality Stones didn't just, not fight it, they championed it. Probably the most visible sign of their reactionary redneck actions, and inaction in the face of change. Under My Thumb. Self explanatory. The song that was playing during the stabbing at Altamonte, despite Rolling Stone's report of Sympathy for the Devil. Some Girls: If they were characterizing countries, rather than their women, then this would still be too risky for the Stones' level of wisdom. But it is impossible to miss the US target: "America(n girls) want(s) everything in the world you can possibly imagine" Honky Tonk Women: Blaming women for your problems, and then acting like it's all just in good fun. Links * Rolling Stones Rock n Roll Circus - When Popular Videos covers something, it is a safe bet that it can only be found in fragments, and PV will be the best source of them Category:The Rolling Stones Category:1962 establishments in England Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:British Invasion artists Category:British rhythm and blues boom musicians Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Decca Records artists Category:English blues rock musical groups Category:English hard rock musical groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Category:Juno Award for International Entertainer of the Year winners Category:NME Awards winners Category:London Records artists Category:Musical groups established in 1962 Category:Musical groups from London Category:Musical quartets Category:Virgin Records artists Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Music Category:Musicians